Are Naim speakers worth the money

Old thread almost 9 years old.

Speakers are such a personal thing and it is quite impossible to say if Naim speakers are worth the money if they do not sound good to the listener. Naim gear especially the amplifiers are great. Only disadvantage is there are many boxes if you go the pre/power route as there are additional boxes with the power supplies.

Naim gear is excellent. There are better speakers besides Naim.

i had the arrivas for a long while and they're unusually system dependent--paired with the right gear (esp. naim amps) they can sound rich, with exceptional bass quality; otherwise they can sound somewhat anemic. they're also quite placement-sensitive.

I haven't seen Naim speakers in a store since the early 1990's. I almost forgot they still make them.

Yes Naim speakers are very good sounding stuff and worth the money. As good as any high quality speakers and with that amazing Naim timing.

Many die-hard Naim dealers do not carry the Naim speaker line, as only the most die-hard of Naim customers end up with Naim speakers. You will for instance find many, many owners of Naim electronics using non-Naim speakers, but vanishingly rare numbers of people who use Naim speakers without Naim electronics. Maybe two!

I have heard quite a few of the Naim speakers-but none of the current Ovator range. I even ran their DBLs both actively with six power amps and passively with two, which was at times quite a thrill ride. 

But all of the non-DBL speakers (NBL, Credo, Intro, SBL, SL-2) I heard had too much coloration and wafer-thin sound staging to appeal to my tastes. 

When I got the DBLs I was using some Sonus Faber Extremas-there were many things about these most beautiful speakers that I missed when I started using the DBLs-the organics of midrange tones for instance. But the DBLs rocked like a mo-fo and on most types of music were a gripping listen, replacing cerebral beauty with visceral impact. 

Replacing the Naim amplification of very high quality tubes I thought brought out the best of the DBLs. 

The DBLs occasionally change hands for circa $3500, which is a big step down from the $25,000 retail price. 

They're like anything else.  Some people will love them, some will hate them, most will be in the middle.

When properly set up and driven, they can sound absolutely fantastic.  The best system I've ever heard was the old Naim DBL actively driven by 3xNAP500 amps.  

I've also heard Naim speakers, notably the old SBL, sound awful because they either weren't set up properly, not driven properly, or both.  

One of my favorite systems was when I had a Naim 250 driving ProAc Response 2.5s.  That combination sounded amazing - I just wish I had the space for something like that now!

As to worth, only the prospective buyer can answer that - it's far too subjective a question.  

Naim electronics are very good. The speakers, however, are not that well known. My Naim dealer did not even recommend Naim speakers. For me, I just do not like the look. Since they will be part of my furniture, I'd rather to have a pair of speakers that won't irritate my eyes.

I like Naim gear, but not the speakers. There are many Speakers that work well with Naim. The best Naim system sound I have heard was at a recent UK HiFi show where a Naim specialist dealer paired all Naim electronics and not the top priced ones, with Art Emotion Signature's. I am not a Naim fan, but that was the best Naim sound I have heard, including a top priced full Naim system. So the answer is that absolutely you can match Naim electronics with non name speakers.

Sorry the second link was supposed to be this site:

http://www.pinkfishmedia.net/forum/

You should go here:

http://forums.naim-audio.com/eve

and here:

http://www.pinkfishmedia.net/forum/

You will find plenty of info on Naim speakers.

first of all, the naim speakers i've heard have been quite good. the sounstage is not flat. naim's priority has always been tone and timing, but thats what most other speaker companies shoot for too. like many 'made in britain' brands, they can get pricey. they remind me sonically of older kefs or imf's, which is a good thing.